


Fifteen years old

by all_hail_the_witcher



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: By Ed Sheeran, M/M, and its cute, and race is briefly sad, and theres kissing, but its soft, but yeah, i dont really remember what this fic entails, i think it rains, im polluting the ralbert tag again but theres so few fics anyway that i doubt you guys care so, its based offa castle on the hill, its from 2018 okay, its from tumblr, its like their anniversary or smth, its very soft, so imma be honest here, they talk about stealing something, with a capital S, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:01:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24067786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/all_hail_the_witcher/pseuds/all_hail_the_witcher
Summary: It's Race and Albert's anniversary and Albert wants to make it special.its just really soft okay
Relationships: Albert DaSilva/Racetrack Higgins
Kudos: 12





	Fifteen years old

“Albieeeeeee” Race wined from the passenger seat of the car, purposefully flailing his arms and legs into what he suspected was his boyfriends field of vision. “Can I take off the blindfold yet?”

Albert shoved Races arm away from him, laughing at his antics. “Just a few more minutes.”

“You said that like an hour ago.” Race slumped in his seat. Today was their 5 year anniversary and as a present Albert had loaded him unceremoniously into his car, given him a blindfold, and told him not to take it off until they were at their destination. 

He neglected to tell Race that they wouldn’t drag their destination for 5 hours. 

“That was 10 minutes ago, Race,” Albert sighed. 

“Same difference.” Race heard shuffling from next to him. “What are you doing?”

“Putting in a cd,” Albert explained as Race heard the whirring of the old player.

Race crossed his arms, sitting up again in his chair. “Why don’t you just use your phone?”

“You’ll see.” Albert smiled as he turned off the main road and onto a dirt back road. He and Race hadn’t been back here in years, but it was exactly how he remembered. There was the old yellow barn - they always did wonder why it was yellow and not red - the house with all the chickens in the driveway, and up ahead, just over the ridge-

Albert rolled down the windows of his truck letting the cool country air come in the car as he sped along the dirt road. “Alright Race,” he said. “You can take the bandana off.”

“Thank  _ god, _ ” Race grumbled, pulling the strip of fabric off his head and looking out the window to get his bearings.

“Oh,” he breathed as they came over the top of a hill and the beautiful Vermont countryside splayed out in front of them. “You brought me back.”

Albert took his eyes from the road to look at Race. The sun was beginning to set, and golden light bounced off of his boyfriend’s face, illuminating his wide blue eyes. 

“Happy anniversary Antonio,” Albert said, leaning over to squeeze his hand. 

“Albert,” Race sighed looking out at the place he and all of their friends had spent their summers as teenagers, “it’s perfect.” He sat up suddenly. “Are we going to the castle?”

“Where else would I be taking you?” Albert laughed. “Besides, it’s almost sunset.”

Race sighed in content, sticking his hand out the window. “You are the best boyfriend ever.”

“I know.”

  * ••



Race ran down the hill from the road to the grassy field, the tall mountain grass rubbing against his legs, as Albert followed close behind. He could see the castle coming into view several hundred yards down.

The castle was not really a castle. Well, it might have been at some point. Now it was a vaguely elaborate stone structure, but there were still some sections that you could go inside. Their friends had nicknamed it the castle years ago and it had just stuck.

“Race ya to the castle?” Albert raised his eyebrows at Race in question once they were both on the field. 

“Oh you are so  _ on, _ ” Race winked as he took off down the field. He wasn’t called Race for nothing. 15 minutes later he was leaning against the stonewall of the castle, a smug look on his face as Albert - finally - caught up with him.

“Took you long enough,” Race teased and Albert slapped him lightly on the arm. 

“Shut up,” he mumbled. Then, he stared up at the ruins. “Man, I haven’t been here in forever.”

“It looks just how I remember it,” Race said, making his way inside, Albert close behind, as he climbed a set of stone stairs to the top of what had probably once been a lookout. He smiled fondly. “Remember when we had our first kiss up here?”

Albert laughed, leaning into kiss Race just for the heck of it. “Now _ that  _ was a night.”

  * ••



The night of Race and Albert’s first kiss had in fact been one of the most memorable nights of their entire lives, and not just because of the kiss. 

They were 15 years old at the time and had been hanging out with their group of friends at the small town equivalent of a 7/11: a gas station store that sold pizza, subs, guns, beer and cigarettes. But, since they were all broke they were hanging around smoking hand rolled cigarettes and passing around a bottle of beer Jack had stolen from the store inside. 

One thing led to another and the store owner came out with a police officer, who was prepared to fine them for stealing. And as young 15 year olds they did what anyone would do: they ran.

Albert had grabbed Races arm and pulled him towards the woods at the side of the road. The two of them ran and ran and ran. Race had started to cry halfway through their run because he thought his grandmother would find out he had been drinking stolen beer and bam him from coming back to her place for the summer. And if she did that he would never get to see Albert again because the two of them only saw each other in the summer when Race was at his grandmas and Albert was at his aunts. There was also the tiny minor detail that Race had a huge crush on Albert. Not that he would ever tell him, he probably didn’t feel the-

In the middle of Races internal monologuing Albert had pulled him into the clearing by the castle. Thunder boomed overhead and the two of them ran the last couple of hundred feet up to the castle and went inside one of the still intact rooms so they could stay dry.

Albert had pulled out his phone flashlight and laid it on the floor, illuminating his and Races faces. Upon seeing Races tears he had reached out to his friend. “Race what’s wrong?” He had asked gently. “We got away, no one will catch us here.”

“My grandma's going to find out and not let me stg here anymore and i won’t get to see you,” Race had mumbled, surprised when he felt Albert’s arms go around him. 

“Your grandmas not going to kick you out,” he had whispered. Albert’s ears were ringing. Had Race just implied that the reason he didn’t want to get kicked out was because he wouldn’t be able to see him anymore? Did Race like him back? That couldn’t be possible. 

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

That night the two of them had slept side by side in the castle room with their jackets thrown over them for warmth. When Albert had woken up the next morning, he was startled, but not necessarily alarmed, to find his arms securely wrapped around Race. He had allowed himself a few moments to hold his crush tightly before letting go and shaking Race awake.

“Race,” he had whispered, shaking him. “Wake up there’s something I wanna show you.”

Race had groaned, but his eyes did open and he squinted at Albert. “What?”

Albert had winked mischievously. “Follow me.”

Race had hauled himself up off the stone floor and up the steps stone steps after Albert, his mouth open in shock when he reached the top. 

There, from the old turret in the castle, they had had a perfect view of the sunrise coming up over the field that lay before them. 

“It’s beautiful,” Race had whispered, leaning on the wall of the turret.

“Not as beautiful as you,” Albert had whispered before he could stop himself.

Race had turned to him, the morning light making him glow like an angel. “What did you just say?” he had whispered. 

Albert stuttered incoherently for a few seconds before Race has muttered “oh fuck this” and leaned over, planting a kiss on Albert’s mouth. 

It wasn’t the most elegant kiss. Their teeth knocked together unpleasantly and race accidentally bumped Albert’s nose but neither had cared because, even though it hadn’t been done quite right, per se, it was still their first kiss and the two of them still felt fireworks, and had known even then that they were meant to me together.

  * ••



Race stared off into the sunset. “Remember that kiss, Albie?” He said dreamily. “It was perfect in all the wrong ways.” 

Behind him, Albert didn’t say anything.

“Albie, c'mon I’m trying to reminisce here and you’re-” Race turned around and gasped loudly.

Behind him, his boyfriend was down on one knee holding a hammered silver band. 

“Antonio Higgins,” Albert began, “I’ve loved you since we were 15 years old. You mean everything to me. I love the way you laugh and the way your eyes light up and the way that every time I kiss you it still feels like the first time.”

Race thought back to their first kiss, with the teeth hitting and nose bumping. “I hope that last parts a lie,” he said through his tears of happiness.

Albert shot him a look that said  _ please-don’t-interrupt _ . 

“You’ve made me a better person,” he continued. “I love being with you and waking up next to you every day. I want to wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life. So will you, Antonio Higgins, do me the honor of being my husband?”

“Yes!” Race nearly screamed. “Yes yes yes, a thousand times, yes!”

Albert laughed, slipping the ring on his new fiancés finger before engulfing him in a hug and then attacking his lips with a kiss.

And this kiss, they did right. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hehe this might be the softest thing ive ever written
> 
> comments and kudos are always appreciated come find me on tumblr -> @/suddenly-im-respecsable


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